beating the SADs, my happy pills, and a WTF (ToL #165)

1. I re-busted my thumb! ? I managed to get it to close up (sorry!) so nicely, and then it split open again (sorry x2!!) while I was taking shots of those blender brownies I posted the other day. This is what I get for being too lazy to set up my tripod and trying to hold up a cumbersome DSLR with a janky, busted up finger. Lesson learnt. And the worst part is that I don’t even have any brownies left to drown my sorrows in. Whatever. So totally worth it (<– love you guys who sent me messages and pics letting me know you tried them and loved them!)

2. And speaking of janky and busted up… can we please talk about what is going on with my bandaid right now?..

Or, more importantly, what I’ve been doing with my thumb to get it to look like that?!?! Seriously. The fabric bandaids are nice and comfortable, but those suckers do NOT wear well. I haven’t even had this one for very long!

3. But let’s switch gears and talk about something that’s a little less… err… gruesome –> makeup. I still haven’t managed to get my butt into a Sephora to pick up my free birthday gift (can you tell I love shopping??), but I have a feeling it’ll happen either today or tomorrow because there are a few items on my wish list that I want to check out as well, with the most most notable one being this Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Palette…

How perfectly wearable do all those shades look for an everyday eye?!? I have (and love) her Shade + Light Contour Palette, so I’ve got high hopes for this one. I’ll let you know how I like it! Maybe it’ll even make it into this month’s favourites post. And yes — I still plan on testing out some falsies. I just have to find a decent drugstore kind so that I’m not experimenting (and potentially wrecking) the more expensive kind.

4. Speaking of favourites, I’ve GOT to tell you guys about the most random thing that I’ve been loving lately — these FriXion pens from Pilot. Why? Because they’re ERASABLE. And not the crappy kind of “erasable” from back in the day where you’d have to use an actual eraser that’d do nothing but smear the ink all over your page. These erase by friction, and it legit gets rid of every trace of ink…

I’ve been using them in my planner in case I have to change something around or I don’t like the way I wrote something. And yes, I’m that person…

5. I’m also that person who seems to kill plants like it’s her job, so that orchid I got for my birthday? I don’t have high hopes for it lasting overly long… Especially since I’ve already killed a couple of those guys in my time, and they’re supposed to be one of the harder plants to take care of.

6. My cupcake balloon, on the other hand, is still going strong… ish ?

7. Can we talk about the SADs for a second? The Seasonal Affective Disorder (with an ‘s’ because I thought it sounded better) that comes out to make people… err… SAD… around this time of the year? I used to get hit by it pretty hard around mid-January, and while I may not be quite as energetic and peppy as I am in the summer, I’ve found a few things that help make the shift in mood/energy barely noticeable. First? Getting outside every.single.day…

… and I don’t mean just running from your door to the car or walking to a different building between classes. I mean something like going for a walk, run, bike ride (I see it all the time!!), snowboard trip (??), or anything where the main goal is to spend some time moving around in the fresh air. I’ve made it a point to get outside for at least 20 minutes a day no matter how cold it is, and I can’t even tell you how big of a difference it’s made in keeping the SADs at bay.

8. Second? A few choice supplements. Now keep in mind that this is what works for me based on my own personal experience, but I have noticed energy/mood improvements [that hopefully aren’t placebo effects] since I started supplementing with these two vitamins…

Vitamin D and a sublingual vitamin B12. Deficiencies in either can have a huge impact on energy and mood, and vitamin D is especially important in the winter when we’re not getting as much sunshine. These are literally my happy pills.

9. Aaaaand that’s it for me today! I’ll see your friendly faces again on Saturday with a new oat-based recipe for this week’s Sweet & Savory Saturday theme! Have the best Thursday and Friday!

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Comments

In Scotland, it’s the poor light at this time of year that really gets me. It’s so dark and gloomy. I try to get out walking on my lunch hour, when it’s not raining, and I also to eat us much fruit as possible. It helps. But I definitely feel a lift of my mood on days where we can see the sun. Which you can normally count on one hand. 😆

Aww. I’ve heard that about Scotland, Neil. Have you ever heard of light therapy? There are lamps you can buy to put in your office or bedroom that mimic sunlight and are supposedly pretty affective at treating SAD.

Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been eyeing those Erase by friction pens for months? I started teaching German to an exchange student from the US in September and when she used one of those I was all over it. Guessing it was a magical new pen from overseas I was all the happierr when she said she’d actually found it lying around her host family’s house and it was from a local drug store. Now that you remind me of them again I might jus tneed to stop in there again soon.
I hear you on the weather and SADs. Moving around outside has been my preferred method of keeping my mood up, too,

SAD is a year round thing in Scotland. Like Neil said, you can count sunny days here on one hand! Okay, I can’t say that it’s year round yet for sure yet (since I’ve only been here 10 months) but you have to find other ways to enhance your mood. Like, chocolate. In addition to Vitamin D and B-12, fermented and pickled foods actually help with SAD as well. I think I’m going to buy one of those lights!
I’ve been eyeing those brownies and once I actually make it to the grocery store, I’m totally trying them out.
With you on the band-aid drama. Super glue is supposed to work really well, but it’s terrifying lol.

I’m glad I’m not the only one too lazy to always set up the tripod, lol! I’m also the worst with shopping for anything, especially things I don’t actually need to function, Although could really use a bit of new makeup. You would cry if you saw my makeup bag!

Aww yeah I can imagine it would be tough with a tiny one. My dog is pretty well suited for the cold so it’s not that bad, but if I had a small one? I’d probably just stuff him/her into my jacket and go 😆

I may just have to get one of those pens. I just got my planner and already found myself wanting to erase but I used pen and wite-out would just make it look bad in the planner.
I am forced to spend about an hour outside each day because I walk 15 min to the train station from my apartment and about 10 min from the train to my office building and repeat for commute home. Though it is cold, it is nice to get that fresh air and nicer than sitting in a car in traffic, even if my legs are numb, I am being active at least.

I need that pen! I am constantly scribbling things out in my planner and the ADD in me dies when I have to do it to switch things around. Hope that finger gets better soon! I have a hematoma on my toe and it hurts so bad every time I walk which you kind of need to do every once in awhile.

The reason that we are here in Mexico is that my dad gets such severe SAD that he lives here half of the year! I never really got it that bad–living in Georgia it would definitely get cold and grayer than normal, but nothing I couldn’t handle–but living in Chicago, the days are so much shorter, the cold days so much colder, that I’ve found that I can really get affected by the seasons.

I am so with you on the SAD. I don’t absorb D3 the way I should so mine really tanks and I’ve ended up having to go through a course of doc-directed mega dose, which feels amazing because it’s such a mood lifter. Those pills are definitely not placebos. Yes to getting OUT too…and to Florida or the islands…haha!

So jealous of your sephora trip! I love trying out new eye shadows and mascara! I have kind of been intrigued with fake eye lashes as well, I have seen so many people get extensions now and they look so great you don’t even need mascara anymore!

Definitely looking for those pens when I run some errands after work. I’m pen obsessed, and have wished for every pen to be erasable. I can totally relate on being one of those people that wants to erase something because of how it was written (confession: sometimes at work, I’ll go through like, five post-its, for a file before I like my hand-writing. The other kicker is by being left-handed, some pens work better than others. It’s a true thing!
Ps, I can’t wait to link up again soon. Going through the process of getting self-hosted with Bluehost at the moment! =)

Exciting times! Going self hosted definitely made a huge difference in how I approached blogging 😀 And I found my pens at both Walmart and Target, so I imagine they shouldn’t be too hard to come across!

I definitely don’t get outside in the winter much, even in Dallas. My walks at at the gym now bc the only time during the week I have for them are at 5 am. Way too dark and cold! Haha. I need to make it a better priority on weekends

Those brownies look amazing btw! I just recently bought the Kat Von D Tattoo liner, still trying it out. I think I get SAD here is Colorado during the winter not because it is dark but because I am literally sad and hate the cold lol.

I need help in the make up department! I did a photo shoot last summer and I should have taken pictures of every single step the artist did. I loved it! And it was quick. Although she did airbrush foundation on…I need one of those!

I’ve never tried the airbrush foundation personally, but I do love the way it looks. AND… I know Dior has a foundation that comes in a can and you literally spray it on your face. Never tried it personally, but it looks interesting 😆

I have a black thumb too:( Orchids are my absolute favorite flower, but I’ve killed the two that I bought previously. Sheeesh!! That why I’m all about fake plants now a days…but I’m giving an easier plant a try and hopefully I’ll graduate back to taking care of Orchids:)

I only have two plants in my home — a peace lily that I’ve killed at least 10 times but miraculously always managed to revive, and an aloe that I’ve heard is basically unkillable. Cactuses are supposed to be good for us black thumbs, but they’re not that pretty. Succulents, maybe?

It’s so easy to be a little less active during this time of year and that makes me sad too! I’m so sorry that you’re struggling with this, but it is so common so you’re not alone! Sending happy thoughts and wishes your way! I hope we can all ban together and encourage you in this season!

I feel like that pen could change my life! I hate whiting out m y planner!!!Thanks for the tip
Good idea with SAD. I’m such a wuss with the cold, but I always feel better when I suck it up and get outside.

I get SAD a little bit in that I go to sleep earlier in the winter. It’s dark for so long my body starts telling me it’s time to go to bed. I’m on B12 and D3, but I didn’t get depressed before I was taking those. Just that sleep pattern and wanting to hibernate. Bears must be on to something.

I find it a lot easier to want to climb in to bed early too, Lesley. And it sucks because I end up waking up at 4am if I go to bed at 9… and then I have to wait for the sun to come up for like 4 hours…

I love the flower. <3 And I'm excited, I think, to be going snowboarding again, Lord willing, out in God's beautiful world today for the 2nd time. I think of you and your love of snowboarding when I go!

That pen is basically the coolest ever and I need about a billion. I remember the “erasable” pens of yesteryear, and they were definitely NOT erasable…. Also, I usually get all bummed when the winter comes, but I think that not really wanting to go out since I’m tired and preggo and would have to bundle a toddler as well in addition that it’s been a very un winter like winter has kept my SAD’s away!

I found this winter to be a lot easier than most as well! It didn’t start to -really- get cold until the middle of December or so, and even then, we haven’t had the serious cold that we usually get. Hi -30 😯

I’ve been lusting over that Shade and Light palette! So gorgeous. I definitely get affected by SAD, and started taking vitamin D3 this year. I’m noticing a huge difference! I was actually going to mention that to you and then I saw that was your next point. We’re on the same wave length!

Getting outside (even in the bitter cold) definitely helps me with some of the SADs. Usually, I’m not a fan of all-the-time sun, but during the shorter days I crave it! And your orchids are gorgeous! There’s conservatory by my house that does an orchid show every year; they’re some of my favorite flowers

Your poor thumb!! I sliced my finger pretty good about a month agao – still have no idea HOW exactly. I didn’t notice it until I was washing dishes though and dangggg it hurt. It was my index ginfer, so it made EVERYTHING difficult, so I can totally sympathize with you here!
As for the B12 happy pills, Im just now reading up on those things and realizing that probably MOST people need to be on them. I know that it can be consumed through animal products, but from what I’ve read people are low on it a lot ot times, and the consequences of that can be pretty serious!

Crazy, right? They used to say it was just a problem that vegetarians and vegans had, but now they’re finding that the deficiency rate is pretty much the same across the board, whether a person eats animal products or not 😕

i have a love hate relationship with those fabric bandaids for that very reason. so comfortable but what the heck is with all the fraying! Those orchids are gorgeous, I hope you keep them alive! we have one similar in our office that we thought died but the lady who comes and waters our plants brought it back to life. im horrible with plants, i kill everything!

I get hit with the SADs pretty bad every single year, but for me it’s usually in the November/December time (probably because January is my birthday month, so I’m happy about that). I struggled HARD with it this year – for some reason it was worse than normal. But in other news, that orchid is beautiful!! And those brownies … omg.

Okay I want that erasable pen.I prefer pens but I don’t like that you can’t usually erase them. That one is genius. I don’t like being cold when I’m outside but I have to agree, my walk to work and walk home puts me in a much better mood just from being outside. It does make a big difference in those cold winter months!

I think I need those pens! I use a lot of white out in my planner, LOL. When I was practicing putting on falsies, I bought a bunch of fakes lashes at Daiso (do you have one of those? It’s a japanese store and everything in the store is $1.50! They have some great stuff in there too), anyway, I used those because the bands are slightly thicker, so you have more lash to put glue on and it made it easier to place in my eyes. Then once I was done practicing on the cheap ones I moved to my more expensive ones, if that makes sense. Good luck. I would practice putting them on while the kids took a bath…so I wasn’t trying to put on false lashes when I was trying to get ready, took the anxiety out a bit, knowing I wasn’t going anywhere!

I feel you on the SADs. It’s why tanning beds used in extreme moderation can be beneficial for us poor Canadians. I literally haven’t encountered more than a few seconds of sun to skin contact in weeks.

I bought this eyeliner sampler from Sephora that contains a Kat Von D liquid eyeliner and it’s AWESOME! I actually find it impossible to make a mess of my face with it because it’s so precise and doesn’t run.

I’ve heard that about tanning beds, but I’m still a wimp. I know there are light therapy lamps you can buy for your office/bedroom though — they’re supposed to work wonders. And I’ll have to look into that eyeliner. I use one from Stila that I adore, but I’m always up for trying new things when it comes to makeup 😉

Definitely know about the SADs. The combination of the cold and the short days and the post-holiday malaise. This time of year I always think of the song “February” by Dar Williams.
I like the idea of making sure to be out in the sun. I’ve also been trying to make sure to get exercise. I forget how much better it helps me feel, even if it’s indoors.

I would never be able to survive in cold weather cities! I get SAD living in southern California, and it is only gray like maybe 10 days a year! ? Getting outside everyday definitely helps keep me sane though even when it isn’t cold and dreary outside!

I don’t think I have SAD, but I still think that getting outside (despite the frigid temps) would do wonders for my mood for the rest of the day. So I think I’m going to take a walk today!
And gahhh sorry to hear about your thumb. Take care, Amanda!

oh my word. yes. Those bandaids are the worst especially if you work with your hands a lot! Thank you for sacrificing your thumb. lol 😉 I kill plants too. It’s okay. My kid is still breathing so I have my priorities straight. Have a happy Thursday!

An erasable pen???? Whaaaat???? Clearly I need to look for those
UGH -am so not a fan of the cold – but you are right – just getting outside for a bit does seem to help – even though I hate admitting it!
On a side note – my daughter still has her birthday balloons from early December still going strong!

I hear you on the SAD. I’ve found that making a point of getting outside of the building helps me a lot on days I work at the hospital and start to feel despair in the afternoon.
Your orchid photo reminds me that flowers are another great pick-me-up I need to revist.

You won’t believe it, but despite getting a superhot summer in here in Sydney, I am craving snow – or more sunny slopes in the Alps and my snowboard. I can not wait to be back and hit it!
As for the vitamins – I take these too and am convinced they help with the moods. Being outside is a must for me, ESPECIALLY in winter and on rainy days. It’s so nice to get back to the warm living room after a little outdoor movement 😉

Fabric bandaids are useless unfortunately. Those erasable pens sound awesome! And, I definitely noticed an improvement in my mood when I started supplementing with B12 and D. My BC made me super depressed and that helped, but since then I’ve just kept it up because it’s good to supplement those things, especially on a vegan diet in the Pacific Northwest.

Orchids… So beautiful yet I kill every one I get so I stopped buying them, even if they look so pretty!
Growing herbs at the moment and its half and half between death and surviving…. And I say surviving because these things sure ain’t thriving! In my defence it’s so hot here right now they just shrivel up :-S

I love your tip to get outside and take a few supplements to help with SAD. It’s been rainy and cold here and I can definitely feel it starting to get to me. I just started taking B12 but I could probably use some vitamin D too. Thanks for the reminder!

I used to consume vitamin D like it’s my job, 5,000 units a day, but my gyno cut me back to a 1,00o and even made me boot my C altogether. Pfft, she doesn’t know about my lemon water consumption though so there. I showed her.

Clearly I’m delusional. I’ve been up since 6ish so maybe that’s why. I see a nap in my future.

I’m fascinated by this idea of erasable pens. I had no idea such a thing existed.

Always a rebel 😉 And I actually had no idea they existed either before I got into planning. But the ECLP is so pretty that I didn’t want to mess it up, so I went searching for ways to avoid doing that 😆

Love your tips Amanda. The one about fresh air I absolutely agree with. I have known homeless people in my time and yes, the filled up grocery pushing hobo type. Never ever did I see the one’s I personally knew ever sick. Always walking in the fresh air.
Me? I’d rather sit in the basket and roll it downhill lol

I second/third/eighteenth the super glue recommendation. I used to row in school and the oars twisting and turning in your hands would just rip them apart. Super glue worked so well and the team ran through it like water. Now that I work as a butcher (I’m a young small blonde butcher and man do I hear about it) I’m constantly washing my hands and they split in the dry colorado weather. Do the super glue thing, REALLY.